Key Sources for Family History: Census Records

The census was used to count the number of people living in the United Kingdom. These have been taken since 1801 but it is only from 1841 that they start to really be of use for family historians. With each census more information was requested so they become even more useful. With data restrictions there is a 100 year embargo in England & Wales so family historians were only just allowed access to the 1911 census in 2010.

Each page of census data has the locality it was taken in so you can see County, District and Town/Village information. The road and house number or name should also be included. Below I have listed the years of the main census and the information that was added each time.

1841

Name.

Age (For those over 15, this was rounded down to the nearest 5 years).

Profession or Occupation.

Whether born “in county”, elsewhere in the UK or in “Foreign Parts”

1851

Relationship to head of household

Age at last birthday

Marital status

Rank, profession, or occupation

Place of birth more exact

Blind, deaf or idiot

In Ireland language spoken

1861

1871

Economic status

Whether blind, deaf, dumb, imbecile, idiot, or lunatic.

1881

Language spoken (Scotland)

1891

Language spoken (Wales)

Whether an employer, an employee, or neither.

Number of rooms occupied, if fewer than 5

1901

Number of rooms in dwelling.

Whether an employer, worker or working on one’s own account.

Whether working at home or not.

“Language spoken (children under 3 years of age to be excluded)” (in Wales)

1911

Industry or service with which the worker is connected.

How long the couple has been married.

How many children were born alive, how many who are still alive, and how many who have died.

1921

Place of work

1931 (destroyed in World War 2)

Place of usual residence

1951

Household amenities

1961

Qualifications

Migration

Household tenure

1971

Car ownership

Travel to work

1981

1991

Ethnic group

Long-term limiting illness

Central heating

Term-time address of student

2001

Size of workforce

Supervisor status

First question on religion on the main census form (England, Wales, and Scotland)

2011 (scheduled for 27th March)

Includes questions relevant to civil partnerships.

Other new questions involve asking migrants their date of arrival and how long they intend to stay in the UK, and will also require respondents to disclose which passports they hold